2 Empire State Building climbers in custody after apparently getting engaged at the top
Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building transmission tower on July 1, 2026. \ CBS
Two people climbed to the very top of New York City’s Empire State Building, unfurled a banner, and then apparently got engaged Wednesday afternoon.
Police sources said the two have since been taken into custody.
The climb
It started at around noon Wednesday.
The two, who appear to be a man and a woman, could be seen wearing masks.
“When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” the banner read.
It was not immediately clear how the two managed to climb all the way to the top of the radio and television transmission tower for local stations.
Shortly after reaching the top and flying the banner, one of the two began to descend, but then made their way back to the top.
The two were apparently posting to social media while at the top, police sources said.
“I just assumed they were allowed up there”
At the start of the incident, other people could be seen milling about on building’s observation deck below, as normal.
“We were right at the top. I could see two people open the gates – the mesh gates – they opened the gates, and they went up to the top,” witness Julie Morris said. “I just assumed they were allowed up there.”
Morris said they were not wearing masks when they began their climb up. She said there was a security guard present.
The observation deck was later cleared.
The proposal
An NYPD helicopter responded to the scene.
At 12:35 p.m., the two began to descend from the top.
Incredibly, once they hit one of the lower platforms on the tower, the man dropped to one knee and appeared to propose to the woman. The two then embraced, the woman removed her mask, and they kissed.
A social media post appears to depict the proposal and its aftermath from one of the climber’s point of view.
CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner reported the street below was closed off as the NYPD responded to the scene, including their elite Emergency Services Unit.
The two were taken into custody at around 1 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Potential charges could include trespass and reckless endangerment, police sources said.
Empire State Building on “unauthorized incident”
“The unauthorized incident at the building has been resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD. There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests. It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World’s Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals,” an Empire State Building spokesperson said.
“There’s a lot of danger up there”
“These guys are a little crazy. Climbing up and down that tower, especially in this heat, is very strenuous. It’s easy to make mistakes. It doesn’t look like they’re wearing any harnesses. There’s a lot of RF, there’s a lot of electrical energy up on that tower,” former CBS News New York chief engineer John Cleary said. “There’s potential for danger up there. It’s something that we’re trained to do. We go to classes for this … it’s not like you climb rocks. This is a live transmission tower. There’s a lot of danger up there.”
Empire State Building has previously been climbed
It’s not the first time people have climbed the tower. In 2023, actor and singer Jared Leto climbed it to celebrate the launch of 30 Seconds to Mars’ 2024 world tour. He did so with permission.
And of course, in the iconic film “King Kong,” the eponymous giant ape famously scaled the building.
How tall is the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building’s top floor is 1,250 feet high. Including the transmission tower, the building is 1,454 feet tall.
The winds at the top of the building were southwest at 5-10 mph, and the air temperature while the two were at the top was 89°.
The iconic building is one of the top 10 tallest in the U.S.
